


October

by torturingtaylor (itzaimster)



Category: Hanson
Genre: Drug Use, Explicit Language, Gen, Light Bondage, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-20
Updated: 2013-05-20
Packaged: 2017-12-12 10:03:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 8,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/810329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itzaimster/pseuds/torturingtaylor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written (and set) in 2004.</p><p>In a possible case of mistaken identity, Taylor finds himself the target of a jealous boyfriend gone insane.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 01

**Author's Note:**

> Won [first place](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/h_itz_jam_z/2004challenge_october1st.jpg) at Stay Dreaming's _Skies Are Blurred_ original fic challenge in 2004.

"You really thought you could get away with it, didn't you?"  
"No, Adam..."  
"Don't you dare call me by my first name, you piece of shit. You can call me Sir."  
"Sir, then. Fucking hell."  
Adam backhanded him.  
“Watch your language.”  
“God, what do you WANT from me?!” Taylor yelled.  
Adam knelt beside the chair he was on, resting the blackened gun on Taylor’s left knee.  
“I want to see you get what you deserve.”  
“For what?!” Taylor shook his head, exasperated.  
Adam remained silent, before tilting the gun downward.   
Taylor squeezed his eyes shut and held his breath, waiting for the gunshot. He heard a chuckle.  
“Do you remember Julie?”  
“Julie who?” Taylor turned his head away, the position of the gun making him shudder.  
Adam tilted his head slightly.  
“Kramer. Five foot six inches. Long, dark hair. Green eyes as clear as drops of dew on a marigold.”  
“Do you realise how many fucking girls fit that description?”  
The gun shot to Taylor’s chin and forced him to tilt his head back. Adam leant in, watching Taylor’s face.  
“I told you to watch your language. And Julie wasn’t like anyone else. She was special.”  
Taylor couldn’t talk – the gun was pressing on his jaw too hard. He twisted his wrists, waiting for Adam’s next move.  
“Maybe you’ll get to see her again someday,” Adam said softly, before withdrawing the gun and stepping back slightly, “possibly sooner than you may think.”  
“Regardless of what you’re thinking,” Taylor said finally, “if I ever met this Julie I don’t even remember her.”  
“You CAN’T. FORGET. JULIE.” Adam yelled suddenly, closing his eyes.  
Taylor jumped at the outburst, keeping his eyes on the young man beside him with his back to him.  
“Then if I can’t forget her, I never met her,” he said softly, looking him up and down.  
Adam hesitated, before a small, twisted smile grew on his face. He turned to face Taylor again, before chuckling softly.  
“You’re not a very good bull shitter, did you know that?”  
“I’m not LYING!” Taylor exclaimed, sweat just beginning to show on his forehead, “I have no reason to lie to you, honestly.”  
“You’re lying if I say you’re lying,” Adam murmured, stepping around the back of Taylor’s chair.  
Taylor gulped slightly, not able to see him or what he was doing. Adam just stood behind him, regarding his figure.  
“You’re not exactly who I thought you’d turn out to be,” he said finally.  
“What are you going to do with me?” Taylor demanded.  
“Don’t we have our whole lives to figure that out?”  
“What?!” Taylor exclaimed, turning to look over his shoulder.  
“Well as if I could let you go now, right?”


	2. 02

As soon as Taylor walked through the front door, he headed for the phone. Picking up the receiver, he dialled a number and waited as it rang through.  
Meanwhile, Isaac struggled to fit two guitar cases through the front door.  
“A little help here wouldn’t go astray, you know!” he called out, before Zac came up behind him and grabbed one of the cases.  
Taylor’s face lit up as his call was answered.  
“Hello?”  
“Chantel?” he grinned.  
“Yeah?”  
“I’m back.”  
“Does he even realise how much crap we have to unload?” Isaac shook his head.  
“Well there’s not that many blue eyed brunettes that Tay can resist,” Zac shrugged, “and there’s no hope for the love struck. You of all people should know.”  
Isaac hit Zac over the head as Taylor put the receiver down. He looked up to see his brothers staring at him.  
“What?”  
“Taylor?” Isaac raised his eyebrows, “get your ass out to that van right now and help us carry everything in.”  
“Umm… I can’t right now. Got to go. But I’ll be back to help soon, I promise.”  
“Taylor…” Zac frowned warningly.  
“You know what?” Taylor began, walking past and backing toward the front door, “I just have to…”  
“Taylor? No,” Zac insisted.  
“Really, I…”  
Isaac dropped the guitar he was holding. Taylor and Zac both froze.  
“IKE?! That was mine!” Taylor exclaimed, suddenly bending down to grab the case and take it into the living room.   
Zac raised his eyebrow at Isaac who just shrugged.  
“Whoops?”  
“Dammit Ike!” came Taylor’s voice.  
Zac chuckled and returned to the van to start bringing in parts of his drum kit. Isaac took the other guitar into a bedroom before following.  
Taylor scowled as he looked the guitar over, checking to see if anything was beyond repair. Deciding that in fact nothing was, he packed the guitar up and took it through to his room. After dumping it on his bed, he headed for the back door.  
As Zac came back through the front door, he hesitated as Isaac stood in front of him.  
“Where’s Tay?”  
Then they heard one of the bikes starting in the garage.  
“Why that little…”  
“Ike? We need him in the band. You’re not allowed to kill him. Think of Mom.”  
Isaac clenched his right fist, before biting into it with his eyebrows arched.   
Zac chuckled, before they both headed outside to carry on with their chore.  
Meanwhile, Taylor backed his bike out of the garage and, after putting his helmet on, began down the street.  
Around ten minutes later – though he’d been speeding – he stopped in front of a large white house. Pulling his helmet off, he stared up at it for a moment in silent awe.


	3. 03

“I still have no idea who you’re talking about,” Taylor shook his head.  
Adam ground his teeth, then grunted in frustration.  
“You cannot deny that you know her,” he fumed, leaning over Taylor with his hands on the backrest.   
“I can deny all I want because I don’t,” Taylor said straight back, “and you have no reason to be holding me here like this.”  
“No REASON?!” Adam yelled suddenly, making Taylor jump.  
Taylor hunched his shoulders in a little as Adam began pacing.   
“Can you even prove to me how I’m supposed to know her?” Taylor asked softly, keeping his eyes down.  
“She was a fan,” Adam whined, making Taylor more than a little unsettled, “I have photos of you and her.”  
“Graphically manipulated?” Taylor glared at the floor.  
“NO. You were hugging her. You were all fucking over her.”  
Taylor held back a comment about his language. Instead, he contemplated what had been said.   
“Show me.”  
“I burned most of them,” Adam groaned, crouching on the ground and putting his head in his hands.  
Taylor bit his bottom lip.  
“You’d still have to have the negatives though, right?” he tried.  
Silence.  
“I’d have to get them developed again,” Adam said finally.  
“I don’t mind waiting,” Taylor insisted.  
“I’m sure.”  
Taylor hesitated, his mind ticking over.  
“Look. _Sir_. I really want to get this sorted out…” he began.  
Adam winced.  
“…And the only way I can see that happening is if I see those photos so I can work out what the fuck you’re talking about.”  
“Language Tayles.”  
Taylor scowled, before diverting his eyes.  
Adam took a deep breath, as if considering his options.  
“I just want to get this sorted out. I want to go home,” Taylor said finally.  
“Home…” Adam almost crooned, causing Taylor to start watching him again, “home… is so far away. Home, is always taken for granted. Home is always turned to shit by someone you thought you knew…”  
“Dude…”  
“Shut up,” Adam insisted, standing up again.  
He turned to face Taylor, scratching the stubble on his chin with the tip of the gun. Taylor silently prayed he’d accidentally pull the trigger.  
“You can’t go home anyway,” Adam insisted.  
“Why not?” Taylor actually looked nervous again for a moment.  
Adam smiled.  
“I’m not an idiot you know,” he said softly.  
“I know what you’ll do.”


	4. 04

A middle aged woman opened the door and Taylor smiled.  
“Yes?” she raised her eyebrows.  
“Ah… I’m here to see Chantel?” Taylor raised one of his own, curiously.  
The woman hesitated, then hummed slightly before turning sideways.  
“CHANTEL?!” she called, looking up the large white staircase you could see quite obviously from the front door.  
Taylor dug his hands in his pockets as he heard footsteps.  
But when his eyes fell on the blonde descending the staircase in front of him, that smile graced his face again.  
The woman who’d called her disappeared from view, as Chantel rushed toward Taylor and into his arms.  
“Welcome back Taylor,” she whispered into his ear.  
“It’s good to be back,” he insisted as their embrace parted.  
“Did you miss me?” she asked flirtatiously, wrapping her arms around his neck again.  
“But of course,” Taylor winked.  
He looked up into the house and shook the hair out of his eyes.  
“Do you want to… go somewhere? Considering your Dad…”  
“It’s nothing against you Tay…”  
“I know I know, nothing personal,” Taylor shrugged slightly as she let go of him, “you can’t blame me for feeling a little rejected though.”  
“Of course not,” Chantel insisted, “but you know… even if one of your brothers showed up, they probably wouldn’t be aloud in the house either.”  
“True. Not that you’d catch them in this part of the neighbourhood…”  
“Now I’m feeling rejected.”  
“It’s nothing against you or your family,” Taylor shook his head, “more the general vibe of the place.”  
Chantel tapped him on the nose.  
“You daredevil you.”  
Taylor chuckled, more to himself than her.  
“Anything for you. Shall we?” he indicated his ride.  
Chantel hesitated as she looked at the bike, but then smiled.  
“Sure,” she agreed, “but ah… you have a helmet, right?”  
“Sure do,” Taylor insisted, taking her hand and leading her down to the bike.  
He fetched his helmet from the seat and handed it to her.  
“What about you?” she frowned slightly.  
“I’m a big boy, I think I can handle it,” he insisted, getting on the bike and starting it.  
Chantel hesitated again, before putting the helmet on.  
“If you say so,” she said loud enough for him to hear over the bike.  
Taylor smiled again as he pulled his sunglasses down over his eyes, then waited for Chantel to get on before backing down the driveway a little. When he had enough room to turn around, he did so, and they began down the street.   
They eventually decided to relocate themselves to a nearby park, one they’d spent many times at before Taylor had gone away again.  
Taylor drove the bike into the park and up to a bench that overlooked the small lake. As soon as the bike came to a halt, Chantel stepped off and he stopped the motor.  
“So… what do you want to do today?” he asked her.


	5. 05

“Very well, you get your way,” Adam said finally, starting to pace again, “for now.”  
“My way?” Taylor raised his eyebrows, “if things were going my way I wouldn’t be here.”  
“And you’re lucky I’m giving you this much,” Adam scowled, going over to a pile of junk to Taylor’s left and starting to sift through it.  
Taylor gulped slightly, wondering what he was looking for. Adam stood up after a moment, weaving a piece of dark blue cloth through his fingers.  
“What’s… that for?” Taylor asked quietly, not too sure if he wanted to know the answer.  
Adam tilted his head slightly, before turning around and snapping the cloth out.  
“We are currently situated in a rather residential area,” he began, looking Taylor in the eyes.  
“And there just happens to be a small trust issue through a certain person not attempting to draw attention to themselves in the hopes of leaving this establishment before I return.”  
Adam raised his eyebrows, as Taylor eyed the cloth. Taylor shook his head.  
“I want to know the truth as much as you do,” he insisted, “I’m not… I won’t…”  
“I already know the truth,” Adam scowled, “you’re just stubborn to admit it. I’m just out to force you to.”  
“I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT!” Taylor yelled finally, “If I fucking did I’d admit it already. For God’s sake I’ve been here long enough!”  
On the border of growling, Adam made his way over and stood behind the chair.   
“I told you to watch your language.”  
“Shouldn’t that work both ways?” Taylor glared in the direction of the door.  
“Not in this case.”  
Adam spun the cloth and forced it into Taylor’s mouth, before tying it tightly around the back of his head. That done, he went back to the pile of his and Taylor’s things.  
Apart from Taylor’s cell phone, pager and wallet, there was a bag that Adam had brought with him. Taylor hadn’t had more than a glance at the contents, and he didn’t really want to see more.  
Adam retrieved his wallet and a few plastic sleeves that to Taylor’s guess contained the negatives that needed reprinting. Along with the keys to his car.  
“I will be however long it takes. Don’t go anywhere, will you?”  
Adam smirked, before going to open the door. As he closed it behind him, Taylor could hear the heavy bolts being locked in place, and the rattle of keys as the door itself was locked.  
Groaning, he tilted his head back and closed his eyes. He had to figure a way out of there before Adam came back, that was for sure.  
Looking over at the bag he’d left behind, he leant over slightly to try and see the contents a little clearer. Not being able to, he tried to work out how to move the chair.  
Eventually he found out that if he lifted the chair via his wrists, he could awkwardly ‘walk’ with it. He managed to move close enough to the bag that his legs could reach it easily, then set the chair down again.   
After taking a few deep breaths and keeping his eye on the door, he brought the bag closer with his left foot. Once it was close enough he tilted it, spilling most of the contents. The bag contained a lot of chain, locks, and a few other restraining methods Taylor wasn’t willing to stay around for. But among everything, there were knives.


	6. 06

“Taylor didn’t say when he’d be back, did he?” Isaac didn’t even look up from his book as Zac walked past him.  
“No he didn’t.”  
“Hmm.”  
“Why do you care? Apart from the general ‘big brother wants to know where little brother is and what he’s doing’?” Zac sat down on the opposite sofa and watched him.  
“Well I have a job for him tonight,” Isaac murmured, paying more attention to his book than Zac.  
“He’s not going to like it,” Zac chortled.  
“Stiff. He shouldn’t have run off before I could ask him if he’d be willing.”  
Zac shrugged and looked around the room for a moment. With a sigh, he stood, a second before they heard the front door open.  
“There we go,” Zac clamped his hands together.  
They heard keys being fumbled with, before the door closed and Taylor came into view as he stopped in the doorway. Isaac simply book marked his book and raised his eyebrows as he looked up.  
“You’re back,” he stated plainly.  
“Yeah, I’m back. And you win the award for being blunt.”  
“Don’t start with me Tay.”  
“Who’s starting?” Taylor shrugged, before disappearing from sight.  
Zac held back a snort as he turned his attention to Isaac. Isaac remained seated for a moment, before tucking his book under his arm and leaving the room. He followed Taylor toward his bedroom.   
He stopped in the doorway, seeing Taylor throw his helmet into the wardrobe and starting to take his jacket off.  
“I hope you don’t have any plans for tonight,” Isaac said nonchalantly, just watching him.  
“Like what and why?” Taylor asked straight back.  
“Like going somewhere. Being with someone,” Isaac shrugged, “this house will be empty in a few hours. You’ll be alone.”  
“Fancy that.”  
“And you’ll also be online.”  
Taylor hesitated, before throwing his first shirt down onto the bed and folding his arms.  
“Doing what, may I ask?” he looked up.  
“Doing me a favour,” Isaac insisted, “there’s an online auction happening. On a Gibson. If I don’t get it, I will be beyond angry, especially considering the happenings of this afternoon.”  
He let the book slip from under his arm into his hand and raised his eyebrows.  
“This is your way to make it up to me.”  
Taylor rolled his eyes.  
“Don’t roll your eyes at me. The auction ends at 2am. Our time. I need you online in case someone outbids me. Comprendo?”  
“Ike I’m not a child anymore. I understand English.”  
“Just checking, because you sure do act like it sometimes. You know my account details. Zac and I are heading off in a few minutes.”  
“Goodnight then.”  
Isaac dipped a fake hat and left the room, leaving Taylor with a scowl on his face.


	7. 07

Taylor knew that balancing a thin knife on the side of his left shoe wasn’t really one of his many talents. Thus he remained at the task for quite a while before there seemed to be any progress.  
When he finally had the knife in the right position, he twisted his leg so he could bring it up to his left hand. Fumbling a little, he cursed when he heard the tinker of the knife hitting the wooden floorboards.   
Taking a few deep breaths, he set at trying again. The next easiest knife to get was a little larger, but he managed to balance it on his foot without as much trouble.   
This time, he was able to grab it.  
Closing his eyes to gather his thoughts, he carefully spun the knife in his hand so that the blade was pointed upwards and out. Then he carefully slid it between his wrist and the silver gaffer tape holding him to the chair. It wasn’t long before he could feel the tape start to weaken and give way.  
As soon as he could, he wrenched his left wrist free. Panicking mildly, he struggled with the tape on his right wrist before reaching down for the second knife he’d let drop and using that to cut the tape again. That done, he pulled the cloth from his mouth and threw it against the wall to his right.  
Then he stood up and looked around, before covering his nose. There’d always been an awful stench in the room, and now he was finally able to do something about it.  
He went over to his things sprawled on the floor and turned his pager and cell phone back on. He slipped his wallet in his pocket before hearing an alert from his cell phone telling him he had voicemail. Ignoring it as worried family and friends, he started going through the remains of Adam’s bag.  
There had to be something in there to tell him where he was.   
He took his hand away from his nose for a moment and he began sifting through some paperwork he found near the bottom. He soon found the sleeve the original photos had come in.  
Pausing for a moment, he took it from the bag and inspected it. It had the details of the company and photo lab on it, but nothing specifically about where either Adam lived or where he was based.  
Deliberating for a moment, Taylor drew his cell phone from his pocket and quickly dialled in Isaac’s cell phone number. He waited impatiently as it rang through.  
“Hello?” came a rather annoyed version of Isaac’s voice a moment later.  
“Ike? Ike is that you?” Taylor made sure.  
“Who else would it be? Where the HELL are you?! Do you realise how worried…”  
“Ike, shut up. Listen to me for a moment,” Taylor insisted, staring at the piece of cardboard in his hands.  
“I need you to go somewhere for me.”  
“Oh really?”  
“Isaac this is serious,” Taylor scowled, “now if you ever want to fucking see me again then get your fucking ass out the car and grab a road map book. I’ll give you the address.”  
“Taylor, what the hell is going on?” Isaac demanded.  
“I’ll tell you once you’re on the way. But hurry up, there isn’t much fucking time.”  
“Ok, ok.”  
Taylor took another deep breath as he heard Isaac begin to bustle about.


	8. 08

Taylor tapped his fingers on the desk as he waited for the web page to reload. He knew there was someone else online after this guitar, and at 1:55am he was in a race with them to the finish line.  
Grunting a little at how much the price had risen, he typed in a higher amount and lodged it. Then he sat back to wait again.  
He looked up at the analogue clock on the adjacent wall. He could only just see it through minimal light coming from the hallway and the cracks of moonlight coming from the curtains of Isaac’s room.   
“Damn it,” he cursed when his rival added almost a hundred dollars to the guitar.  
“This is insane. Give up already.”  
He quickly typed in another total before checking the clock on the computer. Well he must have spent longer staring at the clock than he thought – there was only two minutes to go.  
He jumped as a loud bang came from the back door.  
“Darn dogs,” he shivered, before almost growling as the page refreshed.  
“Ok, so you want to play dirty?” he raised his eyebrows, typing in almost double the amount the guitar was going for, “then I’ll play dirty. Take that.”  
What the heck, it wasn’t his money. And Isaac was pretty desperate.  
His eyes widened incredulously when even that bet was beaten.  
“Alright then…”  
He threw on another fifty dollars, then watched the clock. A matter of seconds before the deadline, he lodged the bet.  
“Come on, come on, come on…”  
He tapped his fingers on the mouse impatiently, before the page loaded to say that the auction was closed. He squinted a little as he read through the details, then…  
“YES! THANK YOU GOD!” Taylor almost threw the mouse away, and in his rush knocked a coffee mug from the desk.  
“Shit.”  
He bent down to grab the mug, hitting his head on the underside of the desk on the way up again. Cursing softly, he put the mug back up before cleaning the few drops of coffee that had spilled from the bottom of the mug.  
That done, he stood up and grabbed his cell phone and pager from the desk and put them in his back pockets, before turning towards the doorway.  
“Holy…” he cut himself off, almost tripping over the computer chair.  
“Holy fuck you scared me. Wait, what…”  
He frowned when he realised the person standing in the doorway wasn’t his brother.  
“Who are you?” he demanded in the nicest possible way, thinking his brothers might have brought a friend home and neglected to warn him.  
“My name’s Adam,” the young man said, “and you must be Taylor…”  
“Ah, yeah,” he ran his fingers through his hair, “umm… did Ike or someone bring you over? It’s a bit late.”  
He debated whether to shut the computer off, then figured if Isaac was back he might as well leave it on.  
“No,” Adam shook his head.  
Taylor hesitated, pursing his lips.  
“Ok then… who are you and what are you doing here?”


	9. 09

“So what am I looking for?” Isaac asked as he turned a corner.  
“Umm… a guy about my age I guess. Short, brown, spiky hair. Gelled. Ah… he has a few dark freckles, otherwise Caucasian and pretty tanned. Probably comes up to my shoulders…”  
“And you think he’ll be at this place?”  
“He’s going there to get some photos reprinted.”  
“Did he say why? That’s rather an odd…”  
“He thinks I’m fraternising with his girlfriend or something,” Taylor frowned, trying the door handle even though he knew it was bolted from the outside, “he says he has photos to prove it.”  
“So why didn’t he just show you the prints?” Isaac shrugged, glancing in the rear view mirror.  
“Because he burnt them. Oh God Ike, hurry. I can’t stand the fucking smell in here.”  
“What is it?”  
“I don’t know, but shit…”  
“Have you bothered to find out?”  
“No, but there’s this cupboard on the other side of the room which I’m sure is where it’s coming from.”  
“So why don’t you check it out?” Isaac suggested, spotting the photo place up ahead.  
“Nah I don’t think so. It’s bad enough on this side of the room without me going over there. Besides, it almost smells like something dead. It’s gross.”  
“Fair enough. I’m here Tay,” he informed his brother as he pulled into the parking lot, “what kind of car does he have, do you know?”  
“I don’t know,” Taylor shook his head, covering his nose again, “he did something to me when he brought me here. I couldn’t make out a damn thing.”  
“Ok. Well this is going to be interesting.”  
“Can you see the door? Like who’s going in and out? Maybe you could just stay in the car?”  
“I’m basically right in front of it, and I was planning on staying right here.”  
“Ok cool,” Taylor took a deep breath, “just… once you have him, don’t you dare lose him.”  
“What exactly am I supposed to do after I’ve followed him back?” Isaac thought out loud, before realising that Taylor could hear.  
“I don’t know,” Taylor said softly, “I guess… I don’t know. The guy has a fucking gun and Lord knows what else on him.”  
Isaac hesitated as he saw a small blue car with faded paintwork pulling up a few bays across from where he was. He squinted a little in the rear view mirror, trying to see his face a little clearer.  
The man soon got out of his car, and began making his way toward the photo store.  
“I think I’ve got him,” Isaac said after a moment’s silence.  
“You have? You have?” Taylor tried to make sure.  
“Short brown hair… Bit shorter than me I’d say. Wearing a denim jacket and faded jeans. He’s in a faded blue car. Heh, this guy likes the colour blue…”  
“That’s him! That’s him!” Taylor exclaimed, “Ike, keep your eye on him. For God’s sake.”  
“Will do Tay,” Isaac couldn’t hold back a slight grin.


	10. 10

“I’m here to make sure you get what you deserve.”  
“Being…?” Taylor raised his eyebrows, becoming more than slightly nervous.  
He slowly moved his right hand around to his back pocket, in an attempt to reach his cell phone.   
“Don’t move!” Adam suddenly exclaimed, his hands flying to his belt beneath the jacket he wore.  
Taylor frowned hesitantly, before Adam revealed the gun.  
“Woah, hey…” Taylor began, backing off with his hands raised.  
He hit the chair before kicking it out of the way.  
“Can we talk about this? What…”  
“No talk,” Adam shook his head, his hand with the gun shaking though he himself seemed mostly stable.  
Taylor kept his eyes on the gun, not knowing what to do.  
“What do you want?” he asked finally, after neither of them moved for a long time.  
“You, to-to come with me,” Adam stuttered, obviously nervous.  
“Ok…” Taylor seemed a lot calmer than he actually was.  
Gulping slightly, he looked toward the door.  
“Where are we going… Adam?”  
“Somewhere… Somewhere secluded. Somewhere where you can’t, you can’t hurt anybody.”  
Taylor took a moment to comprehend that, before looking up at him incredulously.  
“What do you want to do?” he demanded, “can we sort this out here? Whatever I did, I’m sorry.”  
He hesitated, noting the change of expression on Adam’s face.  
“Just… tell me what I did wrong… and maybe I can make it right,” Taylor suggested softly.  
A smile grew on Adam’s otherwise determined face, before he chuckled softly.  
“You can’t make it right. No one can. But you can pay for the things you’ve done. And you can take your fucking sins to hell with you.”  
“Hey,” Taylor shook his head, becoming minimally defensive.  
“If you’re going to blame me for something at least tell me what I’ve done. What did I do? Who to? What are you blaming me for?”  
“This is NOT a JOKE!” Adam yelled suddenly, making Taylor jump.  
“I didn’t think it was,” Taylor licked his lips, eyeing off the door.  
He eyes shot back to Adam as the young man began to rummage in a pocket of his denim jacket. When he found what he was looking for, he placed it on the corner of the computer desk.  
“Take it.”  
Taylor hesitated, staring at the desk. It was a small, round, white pill.  
“Dude, man, chill for a second,” Taylor tried again, shaking his head.  
“TAKE IT!” Adam yelled again, stepping closer with the gun aimed at Taylor’s forehead.  
“Tell me what it is,” Taylor’s voice was obviously shaking.  
“The likes of you don’t need to know.”  
Adam picked it up from the desk and forcefully put it into Taylor’s right hand.  
“Now fucking take it.”  
Taylor stared at his hand for a moment, then back at the gun, before complying.


	11. 11

“Ok he’s moving,” Isaac informed his brother as Adam appeared in the doorway to the photo store.  
“What?” Taylor’s head shot up  
“That was too fast. They couldn’t have done it that fast.”  
“Well he’s only got his wallet in his hands,” Isaac frowned, keeping his eye on him as he made his way back to the blue car.  
Taylor’s eyes searched the floorboards as his mind raced.  
“Ok, ok… he must be going back to get the prints in a couple of hours, or something,” he realised, running his fingers through his hair, “just, whatever you do, don’t lose him.”  
“Should I wait here until he comes back for them or what?” Isaac contemplated.  
“No. Don’t take the chance. He might not be going back,” Taylor shook his head, “he might even be coming back here then going to pick up the prints later.”  
“Good point,” Isaac shrugged, starting his 4WD.   
He kept his eye on where the blue car departed the car park, then slowly began to follow it.  
It was then that Taylor’s phone beeped.  
“Oh…oh no.”  
“Oh no? What ‘oh no’?” Isaac demanded.  
“The battery’s dying,” Taylor almost cursed, “ah…dude, if you get an idea of what’s happening, call me ok?”  
“Will do,” Isaac promised, placing himself about five cars behind Adam’s.  
“Good luck,” Taylor said before hanging up.  
He covered his nose again and sat back against the wall, opposite the mattress on the floor.  
“You too Tay,” Isaac said to himself, letting the car kit hang up.  
Taking a deep breath, he began to concentrate on his driving. Adam was already starting to head out of town.  
Taylor meanwhile took his own deep breath, keeping his head down but eyeing off the cupboard all the same.  
The stench was definitely coming from that direction, he knew.  
He just wasn’t sure if he wanted to know what was making it.  
He pulled his wallet from his pocket, stared at it for a moment, then began to go through it. Just to see if anything was missing or not.   
Establishing that the only thing missing was money, he sighed and returned it to his pocket. It was time to play the waiting game.  
Unless… he decided to find out what was in the closet.  
Considering Adam’s quite obvious lack of mental stability, Taylor wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d found something like a dog with a screwdriver through it’s skull like something out of _Secret Window_. Which was exactly what was making him hesitate.  
But after a few moments, he was suddenly drawn toward it…  
Grumbling to himself as he prepared for basically anything, he dragged himself from the floor and made his way over to the cupboard. Careful to keep his nose blocked, he hesitated as he rested his hand on the door handle.  
Pulling himself together, he pulled the door open. His hand fell from his face.  
He immediately darted backward, almost like a startled feline.  
“Oh holy mother of God…” he breathed, his eyes wide.


	12. 12

Taylor had begun to feel dizzy for quite some time, as Adam just stood with the gun trained on him waiting for the tablet to have some kind of effect.  
Taylor had asked twice more what it was, but he was only ignored.  
Soon enough, it was getting to the point where Taylor could hardly stand anymore. Adam inched closer only to move the chair toward him, before Taylor had to grab onto the back of it to hold himself up.  
“Is this supposed to… knock me out or what?” Taylor was having trouble catching his breath.  
“Not entirely,” Adam replied nonchalantly.  
He tilted his head to the side.  
“Don’t fight it.”  
“I can’t,” Taylor winced, soon falling onto one knee.  
Considering it had been established that Taylor wouldn’t be going anywhere anytime soon, Adam lowered the gun before returning it to his belt.  
Making his way over to him, he moved the chair so that Taylor had to sit back on the floor. Taylor put his hands on his head, desperately blinking to try and clear his vision.  
Eventually, he collapsed. Though he was still fully conscious.  
Adam fumbled around for a moment, before laying out a blanket onto the floor beside Taylor’s body.  
Grumbling to himself, he managed to awkwardly shift Taylor onto it, before beginning to drag him from the room. He pulled him towards the front door – Taylor feeling every little bump along the way – before taking him outside.  
As Taylor looked up, he could vaguely make out the shape of a small car. Whether it was grey, blue or white… he couldn’t tell.  
He idly felt Adam pull his wrists behind him before he was lifted toward the open door.  
"Get in," Adam grunted to himself.  
He managed to shove him into the car, holding his head down as he did so. Taylor looked around dazed, seeing everything in double at the least.   
"Where am I?"  
The question was ignored as Adam rushed around to the driver's side and got in. Taylor looked towards him slowly, then out at the road. His vision wasn’t becoming any clearer.  
Groaning slightly, he hung his head and tried to move his wrists. Feeling the tight, thick, rough rope around them, he pondered his situation for a moment.   
"Who are you?"  
"You don't need to know," Adam replied as he began to speed off.  
Taylor sat back and closed his eyes, rolling his head.   
"What did you do to me?"  
"Shut up."  
Taylor hesitated, not understanding what was going on, and not understanding why he wasn't getting answers.  
"Why are you doing this? Why...?"  
Adam suddenly pulled the gun out and dug it into the crease between Taylor's neck and jaw. Taylor leant away from it with a cringe, knowing even through the vertigo what it was.  
"Don't push me."  
He put the gun away and continued to drive.


	13. 13

Isaac watched on carefully as Adam pulled into a long driveway, not at all hidden by trees or scrubs.  
Realising that if he were to stop he’d surely be seen, Isaac made his way further up the road so that he was just far enough away to not look suspicious, but still close enough to have a good view of the homestead.  
Adam pulled up close to the front door, threw his keys in his pocket as he left the car unlocked, and headed inside. He made his way down a long corridor to the door at the end, and pulled his keys out again to unlock it.  
Taylor didn’t even look up as he heard the tinkling of the metallic keys.  
Once Adam had it unlocked he pulled the bolt open and stepped through. He froze for a moment when he spotted the empty chair, before his eyes darted to the adjacent wall where Taylor sat with his hands covering his red eyes.  
He immediately pulled the gun on him.  
“What are you doing?!” he demanded, more worriedly than anything else.  
“Why did you do it?” Taylor asked quietly, after a moment of silence.  
“Do what?” Adam frowned, before seeing that the cupboard door was open.  
He shook his head.  
“I had no choice. I had to. But don’t worry, I have it all figured out.”  
“You had to?” Taylor finally looked up at him, “you _had_ to?”  
“I said I have it all figured out,” Adam insisted, clicking the gun off safety, “get up.”  
“You have what figured out?” Taylor shook his head incredulously as he pulled himself up the wall, “that you’re just going to do away with me and pretend none of this ever happened?!”  
“NO!” Adam yelled suddenly, “I have it figured out. I can be with her. You can’t. You’ll be in hell being punished for your sins while we’ll be in heaven. Together.”  
Taylor just shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair.  
“You’re a fucking psycho. That is NOT JULIE!” he indicated the cupboard.  
“Don’t tell me what to think,” Adam could have growled, “I went to school with her. I know her fucking name. It was on the roll for fuck’s sake.”  
“Her name is Chantel,” Taylor said between his teeth, clenching his fists.  
“Don’t fuck with me,” Adam shook his head, putting his other hand on it, “get on the chair.”  
Taylor eyed the chair, before gulping and making his way over to it again.   
“Not sitting, standing,” Adam corrected, “on the chair. It’s about time we got down to business and stopped messing around.”  
“What are you going to do?” Taylor asked once again, hesitating before standing up on it.  
He watched as Adam silently went to fetch the discarded rope used on his wrists once before, then brought it over to the chair to tie Taylor’s wrists again. Having done that, he made his way to the cupboard.  
Taylor refused to look as he fumbled with the girl’s body, removing the noose from around her broken neck. Hesitating as he fiddled with it for a moment, he began to make his way back to Taylor.  
“She can’t be Julie,” Taylor shook his head decisively.  
“She can’t be Chantel,” Adam said straight back, standing on a crate as he looped the noose over Taylor’s head, before he quickly jumped down.  
“What about the photos?” Taylor asked quickly, his mind racing, “do they still count?”


	14. 14

Adam used the blanket again to manoeuvre Taylor down the corridor and into a room at the back of an abandoned homestead he’d looked up. He’d already placed a mattress against the opposite wall, and he pulled Taylor over to it before dumping him onto his stomach.  
Grabbing his hair to lift his head, he lifted one of Taylor’s eyelids to check his pupil dilation. Satisfied, he let Taylor lie and stood up.  
He began to search Taylor’s pockets, pulling out his wallet before taking both his cell phone and pager and turning them off.   
“I’ll be back in a few hours. Don’t go anywhere, will you?” Adam said bluntly, before depositing Taylor’s things by the door and walking out.  
It was at least half an hour before Taylor even noticed that he’d left the door ajar. Then he wondered to himself how he’d even noticed, considering he could hardly think clearly.  
Only then did he realise, that if he was thinking of himself not thinking clearly, then he must have in fact been thinking clearly.  
Problem was, he still couldn’t move properly, and he still had blurred vision.  
Groaning slightly he managed to roll further onto his side and train his eyes on the door. The corridor was dark, which was to be expected at approximately 3am. With another groan, he collapsed down onto his stomach again.  
Adam returned to the room with a large black bag sometime just before sunrise. Dumping it by the door, he glanced at Taylor before leaving again.  
Taylor just blinked slowly, not making it obvious that his vision had cleared substantially. He began to try and move his hands, in the hopes of getting some kind of release from the tight ropes around them.  
Keeping his eyes on the corridor – which had begun to lighten as the sun began to rise – he made sure there was no sign of Adam as he awkwardly sat up on the mattress. He shook his head a little as he registered a horrible stench in the room, but paid it no mind as he tried to fit his legs through his arms so he could move his hands to the front. It took him a couple of tries, but he finally managed it.  
Still keeping a watchful eye on the door, he moved silently over to the black bag that Adam had deposited by the door and carefully began to open it. As soon as he saw the knife on top of whatever else was in there, he grabbed it. He wasn’t sure whether to be thankful or worried at the size and shape of it.  
He spun the knife in on his wrists and started trying to saw at the ropes. Realising he wasn’t getting anywhere anytime soon, he opted to leave it for the moment. Instead he grabbed his wallet, which he replaced in his pocket, before he stood beside the doorway.  
Casting a nervous glance down the hallway, he slid through into the corridor and approached the first doorway. Having established that there was a TV on in the room, he carefully inched closer and used only one eye to look through and into the room.  
Adam was asleep on the couch in front of the TV.  
Breathing a sigh of relief, Taylor looked up toward the front door straight ahead. He decided he’d first better see where he was, then possibly use a phone to call someone…  
Only at that very second as he was contemplating what to do, an alarm went off. Taylor almost jumped six inches as Adam was awoken. Adam shut it off, before looking straight up at the door.  
And straight up at Taylor.  
Taylor bolted for the front door.


	15. 15

Isaac watched carefully as approximately two hours later, Adam left the homestead and began to drive back into town. Then he just sat for a moment, debating what to do.  
After a few moments of silence, he tried calling Taylor. After it rang out, twice, he scowled.  
“Ok, something’s wrong,” he admitted to himself finally.  
He grabbed the car keys, locked up the vehicle, and began the long walk up the driveway.  
It took him almost half an hour, but he did arrive. Brushing the dust off himself he stepped up to the front door. It was unlocked, so he opened it and went straight through.  
“TAY?!” he called.  
Receiving no answer, he mentally crossed his fingers that he had in fact followed the right person and had actually come to the right place.   
He began to check every room, finding no sign of Taylor. When he came to the last room in the first and only corridor however, he could have sworn he heard muttering.  
Pulling the bolt back, he found that the door was actually locked. Cursing to himself, he could only try pushing on it. Soon enough he found that the wooden door was weak, as he almost went straight through it.  
His eyes widened instantly at the sight before him.  
“Please don’t let me fall, please don’t let me fall, please, please, please Ike don’t let me fall…”  
Isaac froze in shock for a moment as he took in the scene, before he grabbed the nearby crate and pulled it over to the chair. Jumping onto it, he furiously began to untie the end of the noose from the ceiling frame.  
Once he had it down, he grabbed Taylor by the shoulders and pulled him down from the chair, causing it to almost crack in half. Taylor fell to the floor and hung his head, just trying to catch his breath.  
“Oh my God Ike…” he almost whimpered.  
“What the… he… what… what the fucking hell happened to you?” Isaac shook his head incredulously, kneeling beside him.  
“Ike… can you get the rope off my wrists?” Taylor asked finally.  
Isaac didn’t hesitate, but did as he asked straight away.  
Then both their heads shot up to the door as they heard Adam’s car pulling up.  
“Shit, he’s back already,” Isaac cursed.  
He grabbed Taylor by the shoulder and pulled him from the floor. Disregarding Taylor’s possessions, he pulled him into another room two doors down, closing and locking the door just in time for the front door to be opened.  
“He’s gonna find me,” Taylor’s voice shook, before Isaac clapped a hand over his mouth.  
They heard the front door close, before Adam froze.  
“What the fuck…”  
They heard his footsteps rush down the corridor, then both cringed as Adam began yelling expletives through the fact that Taylor was gone.  
“Never mind, never mind, never mind…” they heard him chant as he came back down the corridor and began pacing in the room across from theirs.  
“Never mind, I’ll still have her. I still have her. She’s MINE. No one can take her away. No one can take her away from me. Never mind. I love her. She loves me…”  
Isaac shook his head, beginning to understand why Taylor was so freaked out.  
And then they heard the gunshot.


	16. 16

Taylor made it to the door and fumbled with the lock for a moment before he heard the click of the gun off safety.  
Not registering what the sound was at first, he bolted again once the door was open.  
“I wouldn’t if I were you,” came Adam’s voice as Taylor froze in the driveway.  
“I’m in the middle of fucking nowhere,” he realised as he looked around.  
Via the moonlight in the open he could see that the homestead was situated between two paddocks. The closest neighbouring property – judging by the lights – must have been two or three miles away.  
“Shit.”  
“Don’t you dare move,” Adam’s voice came again, closer this time.  
Taylor froze again.  
“Raise your hands.”  
“I can’t,” Taylor insisted, his eyes darting to the side where he could see Adam’s shadow.  
“Why not?”  
“Because my hands are tied,” Taylor replied incredulously, careful not to raise his voice.  
He kept his eye on Adam’s shadow, as there was silence for a moment.  
“Alright, don’t move,” Adam ordered, before stepping closer.  
Taylor remained where he was as Adam came up beside him, then jumped as he felt Adam’s hand on the back of his neck.   
“Back inside then,” he said, before his fingers wrapped themselves in Taylor’s hair, forcing him to lean forward as he was pulled back to the front door.  
Cringing, he tried to grab Adam’s arm.  
“What the fuck is your problem?!” he asked carefully.  
“Don’t ask questions to which you already know the answers.”  
Taylor was practically dragged back into the room he’d just left, before being dumped onto the only chair in the room.  
He held his head where his hair had been pulled, before looking up to see Adam rummaging furiously in the black bag he’d dumped in there earlier.  
“What are you doing?” he gulped slightly, eyeing where he’d placed the gun on the floor at his feet.  
“Well if you don’t plan on sticking around I’ve got to figure out a way to make sure you do.”  
“And why do I get the feeling you already have?”  
Taylor kept his eyes on him as Adam stood up, a roll of silver gaffer tape in his hand.  
When Taylor’s eyes fell to what was in his hand, he began rushing to try and get the rope off his wrists.  
“You can NOT be serious,” he shook his head, eyes never leaving him as he almost fell off the chair.  
“Stay still,” Adam ordered, snapping the tape open and making for Taylor.  
Adam caught his left arm before he could get anywhere, and started taping his wrist to the back left leg of the chair. That done, he untied the ropes, then taped his right wrist to the back right leg.  
Taylor tested the pull of it before feeling Adam pull on his hair to make him look up.  
"You really thought you could get away with it, didn't you?"  
"No, Adam..."  
"Don't you dare call me by my first name…”


End file.
